Lenoir County, NC - Harvey Letters
These letters were sent by Gloria Thomas - gloriagthomas@hotmail.com -
who transcribed them. We appreciate her generosity. This is the Thomas
Harvey family of Lenoir County and Thomas' Will can be found on the
Lenoir Co. Archives. He had another son, Spencer, who was not known but
he appears to have left Lenoir County prior to his father's death and
even prior to the 1850 census. After a little research we hope to
include an introduction to this family.
Martha Mewborn Marble
May the 1st 1840
Dear Brother and Sister. I take the opportunity of writing you a few
lines of information to inform you that we are all well hoping that
these few lines may find you and your family enjoying the same blessing
also.
Dear Brother I received your letter a few days ago for the first one
since you left this country though my father received one a little
while back and I was very glad to hear from you. I should have wrote
you a note before this if I had known where to direct it to but I did
not know whether you was at the same place or not and so I failed to
write. I have nothing very particular to write about at this time more
than hard times and money scarce. I have changed my place of residence
since you left here. I have sold my land in the neck for the same I
gave for it after getting about 40 thousand feet of square timber off
of it which I sold it from $21 dollars to 30 dollars per thousand. I
have bought a tract on Falling Creek containing about 500 acres the
plantation formerly belonging to ------Byrd now deceased which he left
to his son and he died and it was sold to satisfy his creditors. I
gave $2630.00 for it but there is an encumbrance on it which if it was
off I could get $5000.00 Dollars for it. Father has sold his land for
$15.00 per acre and if he don't buy again in this country I expect he
will go to the South he don't give --------until January next and if he
goes I shall sell and go with him. I am farming on a tolerable large
scale this year. I have planted about 75 acres in cotton besides my
corn crop you note that you expected to come out next winter. I should
be glad to see you and your lady both come, you must write to me if I
can't see you I should be glad to hear from you. I rejoice whenever I
can hear from you even so when I hear from any of my long absent
friends or relations who have gone to another country and perhaps may
go to another world before I should see them again but I hope we shall
be spared to meet in Old Carolina again. I confess my bad writing and
ilcomposed lines and I hope you will excuse them. Mrs. Hill and family
is well and Mrs. Jonston is still alive and Father is well. Nothing
more at present but remain your affectionate Brother until Death. I
have one daughter named Elenir (not sure) she was born November 18, (?)
Amos Harvey
Kinston, N.C. December 5, 1860
Spencer Harvey
Georgia
Dear Brother
As your letter has been received after waiting some time ago, I have
taken this opportunity after waiting some time to write you something
in regard to my affairs. Since you left I have been hard at work in
courting the Young Lady I was telling you about, and have succeeded in
gaining her affection and the promise of her hand in marriage. She is
the perfect Jewel of a woman and I prize her higher than anything in
this world. Our wedding day is not yet appointed but it will be
sometime in January. When I get her home I want you to come see her as
I think I can show you just the nicest woman you ever saw.
Father and Aunt Nancy has recovered and are now in the enjoyment of
good health, old Hannah died since you left, John Tull lost his wife
and Mother also since you left and has been sick himself.
We have had one big fire in town Mr. Patterson lost his entire building
but saved most of his goods. We have considerable excitement here
about secession and disunion. I am afraid our great and once happy
country is coming to a bad state of affairs.
I can think of nothing more to write you except that we are all well
and getting along about like we were when you was here. I hope you
will write to me soon and when I get my lady home I will write again.
I hope this will find you all well and doing finely.
Yours very respectfully,
M. Harvey
Kinston, N. C. Dec. 13th 1859
Miss Georgia
Dear Niece, I hope in the first place you will
excuse me for not writing before now, although yours of the 11th of
November is the last one I got from you since I wrote.
I have been very busy since I read yours and this is the only
convenient opportunity I have had since I received it. I have thought
good many times that I would write to you but other matters would come
up and I would put it off. I don't think I have written to you since
the death of Levi Hill and his wife. Mr. Hill has been dead about 12
months and his wife died this fall leaving seven children 4 boys and 3
girls the oldest boy and daughter is now about grown. Tell your Father
that Elder John P. Dunn died about 3 or 4 weeks ago, probably he has
not forgotten him. A very old and worthy citizen. I believe all your
connections here are well and getting along pretty smoothly.
I hope this will find you all well and will be pleased to hear from you
on the receipt of mine, and hope you will write immediately.
Tell your Pa I would like to have a few lines from him also my brother
Amos would be pleased to have a letter from him and hope he will write
to one or the other of us.
I would think he would write to our old father who is now 72 years old
and almost in the grave, who would be very much pleased to hear from
him whom he has not seen nor heard of in several years. I must now
come to a close hoping you will excuse mistakes as I have written in a
hurry. When I receive your next I will not be so long before I reply.
Yours very affectionately,
M. Harvey
Kinston
Miss Georgia Harvey
Dear Cousin I received your letter and was very glad
to hear you arrived safe home and found all well. I am very sorry I
have not been able to write sooner, but I will redeem my promise even
at a late hour. I hope you will not think hard of me for this seeming
but not real neglect. I know the excuses I have to offer will plead
for pardon. My health has been declining and I have not been able to
get home since you left. Oh, Cousin Sue you can't imagine how much I
missed you, I never felt so lonely in all of my life as when you were
gone. I do believe I have had the blues ever since, but I will say no
more about them for fear I shall give them to you.
Cousin Sue I am very sorry you got so wet going to the cars the day you
left but you must attribute that to Uncle and Lonny for staying so late
up town. I can laugh now to think how you talk; nevertheless I
sympathize with you for I have often experienced the same and found it
very unpleasant.
Dear Cousin I wish you had received Aunts letter before you left us if
it would have prolonged your visit. I am very sure we all would have
been delighted to have you with us. Lonny has promised me if I am able
to travel next spring to go South with me, and if I should be so
fortunate I am coming for you, and you must let me find you the same
Cousin Sue and no one to object.
John is here now I asked him what I must say for him. He says I must
give his love to you and say he is going to be married Christmas.
Father, Mother, and Mr. Desmond all send their love to you.
Cousin tell Uncle there is nothing of importance to communicate only
there is considerable excitement about insurrection, there is a
committee-appointed today for the purpose of examining a man they
suppose will be found guilty and punished accordingly. There are also
more sickness in the vicinity of Kinston than I have know for a long
time and is more fatal.
Mr. John Toll has lost his wife and Mother within two weeks and himself
is very sick.
Typhoid fever seems to be the disease raging. Grandfather's health is
much better than when you left, there has been no sickness in our
family except myself and one of my cousins (Dr. Byrd) he fell victim to
its prey. Oh Cousin Sue you can't think the pain it gave me last
Saturday night to know he was no more it is too painful to dwell on
long. I will console myself with the hope that he is in a better
world.
Cousin I have a great many things to tell you but I am too feeble to
write longer today. So I will close. I received the letter and was
very much pleased with it. I am going to send you some books soon.
Write to me as soon as you get this I am very anxious to hear from you.
Your own dear friend and affectionate cousin,
Ellie E. Desmond. Please excuse all imperfections
Note: The date of the letter was cut off in the copying. I have tried
to acquire another copy but have been told that the owner of the
letters is deceased and family members say that they don't know the
location of the letters.
Kinston North Carolina Jan. 10th 1857 (?)
Miss S. G. Harvey
Dear Niece Your letter of the 1st _____ has arrived. I will take my own
time now and write about everything.
My Father is yet alive and looks and feels as young as any of his sons.
He has 4 sons and one own daughter living. Amos is the oldest. My
sister is the next. Myself the next. Franklin and Thomas is the baby.
He is now near 19 years old. I give you the names of the living
children.
Amos has six children. 4 sons and 2 daughters. His oldest daughter is
married and one child. My sister Eliza has 6 children. She married F.
H. Aldridge a very smart man and is doing well. Alexander died several
years ago. He left a widow and one child. You wanted to know
something about my family if I had one.
I never was so fortunate as to get married. I am now 28 years old and
has never had a wife but I keep thinking everyday that I will have one.
I have been engaged for the last three years in steam mill business. I
have made some money at that. I sold out this fall and am now winding
up my business. I shall go to merchandising next spring in Kinston.
Kinston is improving rapidly. Tell your Pa he would not know it he
would be surprised if he could just behold Kinston now.
The railroad will soon be completed from Goldsboro to Beaufort it runs
directly through Kinston it would be but a few hours ride and I hope
you and your Pa will come out this spring and see us all. I would be
happy indeed to see you. My brother Frank has been married just 12
months. Thomas is living with his old lady. My Mother has been dead
several years.
Father lives at the same old place he did when your Pa left here.
There has been great improvements in old North Carolina in everything
since your Pa left here.
Tell your Pa his Mother is still living. She has become afflicted and
her life is no satisfaction to her. She was rejoiced to hear from you
and hopes to see her son once more before she dies. Washington Johnson
has been dead two years he left a widow and several children.
Levi Hill and family are all well. They send their best respects to
you and family. He is getting on tolerably well. He has 7 children.
He told me to write to you and request your Pa to write him.
I want to know if your Pa is a preacher yet and what church he belongs
to tell him Father is a member of the Free Will Baptist Church and a
Deacon. All his children are professors except Thomas. I shall be
imposing upon your patience with my letter and will bring it to a close
hoping I shall hear from you and tell your Pa to write as soon as he
gets this. We are all glad to hear from you and your relations all
send their best respects. They had given out the idea of ever hearing
from you before you wrote to me. They all thank you for writing.
I shall look for a letter from your Father and hope he will write soon
and you also, please to write your full name.
I remain yours affectionately,
M. Harvey
Kinston January 8th 1860
Miss Georgia Harvey,
Dear Cousin I received your letter and was very happy to hear from you.
I am pleased to know you have recovered from the dreadful cold you were
suffering from.
Kinston is very dull indeed nothing of any interest going on except a
great many parties, which the young people seem to enjoy very much.
Christmas ____has passed without any thing worth relating. Intense
excitement prevailed during the holidays so there could be but little
enjoyment yet. I know if you had been here with us it would have
passed more pleasantly. Cousin Sue do come back I have missed you so
much. You say you have several applications to back to school and you
want to come back to N.C. I fear you are incapable of choosing the
wisest plan so please let me decide for you, come back and repair the
wrong you did when you were here, you visited all but me and I am sure
there was not one that appreciated your visit more than I. Tell Uncle
I have not got in a good humor with him yet for slighting me. Cousin
you wrote me your brother was going to get married and was coming to
see us tell him we will be very happy to see him, you must be sure to
come with him, you say you intend to study music. I have three
instruments and Father is going to get me a guitar. Come and we will
have a fine time practicing. Well Cousin I am home at last and I do
wish you were here today to hear me scold. Lony is just the poorest
housekeeper you ever saw. I don't believe he has had the floors washed
since I left. I have been under the treatment of Dr. Brown ever since
you were here my health is improving gradually. He says I must return
to town that the cares of housekeeping are too much for me, but as soon
as I can get a housekeeper I am going to stay home, for I feel like a
caged bird in town.
Oh Cousin I had like to forget to tell you Uncle Matthias is going to
be married ___29th to Miss Lizzy Chapman. I do wish you were here to
go. I have an invitation to go but Dr. Brown says I shall not attend
but if you were here to go with me I would any how.
Well Cousin it is time to close this uninteresting letter. Johny says
give all his love to you and kiss you for him. Mother often speaks of
you and expresses a wish to see you. Father and Mother and Lony all
send their love to you and say you must come.
Tell Uncle Grandfathers health is very delicate indeed all the rest are
very well at present.
Oh Cousin, I have commenced my ______cover when you write again tell me
how I must make it. Please don't think hard of me for not writing
sooner you don't know how ill I have been, and if you accuse me of
forgetfulness again I will not forgive you.
Brother wrote you and has been expecting to hear from you, he says if
you received his letter you have not kept your promise, he has been
censuring you for your neglect.
Write to me as soon as you receive this I am anxious to hear from you.
Please pardon all imperfections I am writing in haste for Dr. Brown is
at the door now, my love to all
I am your devoted friend and affectionate Cousin, Ellie E. Desmond
write soon
Cousin here is a little piece of work for you must excuse its being so
dirty for I did it in bed I will send the other piece in my next
letter.
Ellie
Kinston May 3rd 1862
Mrs. Ga. Brassell
Dear Niece,
Your kind letter of the 6th of May has been received and was somewhat
surprised to find that Mrs. Brassell had become my correspondent until
I had looked a little further, or at the P.S. and found that the Mrs.
Brassell was no less a personage than your own self.
I am in the hope that you have done well in marrying. Got a man worthy
of you and when the war closes bring him to see me. Your relations are
all well. My Father had quite a hard spell of sickness while back but
is now up. We all thought that his time had come, but he got over it.
I can't write to you without saying something about my baby. I wish
you could see it, it is now seven months old named Mary it is not very
large but peart and lively always laughing.
Since the war commenced I have quit merchandising and gone to farming.
I live three miles from Kinston. I think I shall make head for next
year if the Yankees lets me alone.
We have a small army here at Kinston now one brigade. We have had from
10 to 15000 soldiers here but the most of them has been ordered to
Virginia. I learn there is a heavy fight going on near Richmond, but
you will hear of it before you get my letter. The Yankees are
committing a great many depredations about Newbern taking up private
citizens and putting them in jail, stealing what they can lay their
hands on. A great many Negroes has run away and gone to them. They
have broke good many people up. They have not got as far as Kinston
yet and I hope never will.
I and my brother Amos had to abandon our farms below Kinston in Jones
County, we have not lost any Negroes very few as high up as here has
gone yet.
Frank and Tom is stationed at Wilmington. They left here a few days
ago. They are getting on very well. I hope the war will soon close
for we have seen a little of its realities here.
Give my best respects to your Father and family and tell him to write
me. I have not written near all the news but this will do for this
time. The war has upset my calculations so much that I almost have
forgot how to write. Write soon.
Very Respectfully,
M. Harvey
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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
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